Synopses & Reviews
Frederick Billings was the first lawyer to hang his shingle in San Francisco, the man who named the city of Berkeley, and an instrumental figure in founding the University of California. An early conservationist and advocate of national parks, Billings was also president of the Northern Pacific railroad. This riveting biography captures not only Billings's dynamic life, but also the spirit and excitement of California during the gold rush era.
"(This book) contains fascinating information about California life during the gold rush and the politics of building a transcontinental railroad.... This very readable biography does a great deal to recapture a sense of the conquest of the West as 'a grand national adventure' -- while keeping in perspective the thefts, vigilandsm, and the vandalism that it took to do it". -- David Walton, New York Times Book Review
"Masterfully written.... Vermont and California, Yale historian Robin W. Winks reminds us in this splendid biography, are each states of mind. If this is true, no single person embodies the values and dispositions of both states better than Frederick Billings (1823-1890), the Vermont-born lawyer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and conservationist who played an important role in the establishment of California in the 1850s". -- Kevin Starr, Washington Post Book World
"What provides the breath, and breadth, of this biography is the portrait it offers of early California". -- David Sherman, Wall Street Journal
"A splendid biography". -- Malcolm Rohrbough, American Historical Review
Synopsis
Frederick Billings was the first lawyer to hang his shingle in San Francisco, the man who named the city of Berkeley, and an instrumental figure in founding the University of California. An early conservationist and advocate of national parks, Billings was also president of the Northern Pacific railroad. This riveting biography captures not only Billings's dynamic life, but also the spirit and excitement of California during the gold rush era.
About the Author
Robin W. Winks is Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Yale University. Among his many books are The Blacks in Canada and Cloak and Gown: Scholars in the Secret War, both nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.